Missing Moments
by JackieStarSister
Summary: Separate canon compliant oneshots, written as reactions to various episodes. Featuring Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, Ruby, Rumplestiltskin, Belle, and Hook.
1. Reluctant Hero

**Author's ****Note:** My DVR didn't tape the end of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," but I found out what happened from the episode list on Wikipedia. I know we'll see what happens to Emma in the next episode, but I had this idea that I wanted to get out. This was pretty spur-of-the-moment as far as my fan fiction goes. By the way, if anyone knows where I can find scripts or quotes from _Once Upon a Time_ episodes, please let me know!

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><p>Emma had been packing her bags when Mary Margaret came home from the school and told her that Henry wanted to meet her at the castle playground. Emma went there, if only to say good-bye. She felt bad about having to leave Henry again, but she thought it would be the best – for her, for him, and for the town.<p>

Emma found him on the play structure, reading the book of fairy tales. "Hey," she greeted him. "Why did you want me to meet you here?"

Henry looked up at her. "Ms. Blanchard said you're leaving."

Emma nodded. "That's right, I am."

"But you can't! Especially now."

Emma sighed and sat down next to Henry, dangling her legs off the side of the structure. "Look, kid, I know you were expecting me to save the town, but all I've done is make things worse. Your mom … she blames me for the Sheriff's death, and … maybe she's right." Emma wiped her hand across her face, trying not to cry. She had spent the whole night after Graham's death crying, something she normally detested doing – it made her feel weak. She had let down her wall, and she had been hurt because of it. "I mean – Sheriff Graham wouldn't have died if I hadn't come here."

"But you know why he died? He was starting to remember!" Henry exclaimed. "That's why the queen got rid of him."

Emma shook her head. "Henry, I was with him when he died. That means I'm implicated for killing him. In any other town, I'd have been interviewed by the police. But he _was_ the police, and I was his deputy. The only reason I'm not in jail now is because there's no one to arrest me."

"But we need you – now more than ever."

"Are you talking about your fairy tale theory, or real life?"

"Both! We need you because things are changing, the curse is weakening and she's fighting back. _And_ we need you because you're the only person in the law enforcement now." In response to Emma's quizzical expression, he added, "Ruby said that, not me."

Emma looked out at the water, considering. After a moment, Henry spoke up again. "Whether or not you believe me, there's this: if you leave, it means she's won."

Emma glanced at him. Henry pulled a piece of paper out from the pages of the book. "I wanted to organize a protest, but Ms. Blanchard thought it would put more pressure on you to have everyone here. So instead, I got everyone to sign a petition." Henry handed her the piece of paper. "These are all the people who want you to stay."

Emma frowned and read the list – or letter, more like.

_Mary __Margaret __Blanchard. __You're __my __first __close __friend. __I __don't __feel __lonely __at __home __anymore. __And __you've __made __Henry __so __happy __lately. __Please __stay._

_ David Nolan. You're one of the few people I really know in this town. Thank you for helping find and save me._

_ Ashley Boyd. Thank you for letting me keep my baby. I can never repay you for that. Alexandra and I both owe you our lives._

_ Sean Herman. You saved my relationship with Ashley; thank you. I'd understand if you say no, but Ashley and I were wondering if you would be Alexandra's godmother._

_ R. Gold. It would be a shame if you left. Don't forget, you still owe me a favor._

"Mr. Gold wants me to stay?"

"He _says_ it's because you owe him a favor," Henry explained. "But he likes you, too."

Emma glanced down at the list again. There were more names – Archie and Marco, Ruby and her grandmother. Archie had even put his dalmatian's pawprint on the letter.

Henry was still talking. "Because of you, David woke up, and Ashley had her baby and was able to keep it. You're already a hero, Emma."

Emma bit her lip, trying to keep more tears from spilling – only now, they weren't tears of pain or sadness; she was just amazed at how many people she had come to know, and like, and help. They cared about her. They wanted her around.

_In __order __for __something __to __grow, __it __needs __roots. __And __you __have __no __roots_.

She had wanted to prove Regina wrong. So she had started to put down roots. And now, it seemed, they had planted themselves firmly into the ground. The townspeople of Storybrooke wouldn't let her leave.

Emma smiled tearfully. "Thank you, Henry."

There was that crooked half-smile she had become familiar with lately. "You're welcome … Mom."

That did it. The dam broke and Emma couldn't stanch the tears. She hugged Henry, and he hugged her back – something he rarely did with Regina.

If Henry _was_ right … her staying here might cause more deaths. But if she left, she would be leaving Henry the townsfolk – her friends – defenseless. So she would stay, for them.

Emma prayed that she wouldn't come to regret this decision.


	2. Tried and True

_Summary: A scene at Sheriff Swan's office. Takes place during "Heart of Darkness." Featuring Emma, Mary Margaret, and Ruby. Rated T for the contents of the jewelry box._

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><p>Emma leaned back in her chair. "You know, I met Graham when he took me here after I veered off the road – the night before I met you," she said conversationally. "And he arrested me the next day, on flimsy charges."<p>

"Well, I guess arresting someone does add a new level to a relationship," Mary Margaret muttered sarcastically.

"Hey." Emma looked at her through the metal bars; her tone was sympathetic and sincere. "I haven't forgotten. When Graham arrested me, you bailed me out. You said you trust me, even though you had no reason to. And I want you to know, I trust you, because I have _every_ reason to. And I'm going to repay you, for all the help you've given me."

Mary Margaret swallowed and nodded. "Thank you."

Someone knocked on the glass window in the door. Emma strode over and opened it, only to step into the hallway and close the door behind her.

"Hey." Ruby stuffed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.

"Hey," Emma returned, looking at her with some concern. "How are you?"

"I'm doing all right," Ruby answered. And all things considered, it was true. "I, ah, moved back in with Granny, and got my job back."

"That's great. It wouldn't feel the same there, without you behind the counter or busing tables."

But Ruby didn't seem to be listening. She glanced inside the office. "Would it be okay if I talked to Mary Margaret?"

Emma hesitated, also glancing inside, and then exhaled. "Go ahead," she permitted. "I'll be watching from out here."

Ruby flashed her a grateful smile and let herself in. She went slowly as she opened the door and entered.

"Ruby." Mary Margaret stood up, looking through the bars in surprise.

The girl smiled weakly. "Hi."

"What's up?"

Ruby shrugged, her hands still in her pockets. "I … quit working for Emma."

"So I heard." Mary paused. "This may be a moot point, but … was it because of me?"

"Not exactly." Mary looked skeptical. "Kind of," Ruby admitted. "See … I'm the one who found the box."

Mary's mouth dropped open. "You …"

Ruby turned sideways, avoiding her friend's shocked expression. "Emma asked me to go look around the toll bridge, see if I could find anything. I don't know how I was able to find it, it was like a weird instinct was telling me what to do … and then I opened it and saw the heart …"

"Oh, Ruby …" Mary Margaret folded her arms and covered her mouth with her hand.

"… Yeah." Ruby leaned back on Emma's desk. It had been traumatic, opening the box and finding something so gruesome inside, and then realizing what it must be; her own heart had almost stopped beating in her chest. Ruby looked down at the floor. "That's why I quit. … I don't want a job where I ruin people's lives."

"Oh …" Mary Margaret exhaled. "You haven't ruined my life."

"I'm kind of the reason you're here," Ruby pointed out.

Mary blinked, frowning a little. "Do you want me to be mad at you?" she asked curiously. "Because I _am_ mad, and I _could_ take it out on you now."

"No … I just wanted you to know the truth. And I wanted to know if you're all right." Ruby sighed and glanced around the room before looking back at her friend. "I would ask if there's anything I can do, but I don't want to mess things up more."

"Well, I appreciate that." Mary Margaret tried to offer her a smile. "You know, you're a good friend, Ruby."

She smiled, her first real smile that day. "Thanks. So are you."


	3. A Tale as Old as Time

_Published October 7, 2012. __Takes place during Season 2, Episode 1, "Broken."_

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><p>Belle still felt like a stranger to this world, because she knew so little of what existed here outside of the asylum. She supposed she would have to take care to learn more about it. If she was to stay with Rumplestiltskin—could they make a life together? What kind of life could they have here?<p>

She had passed through the town on her way from the asylum to the pawnshop. She had seen a hotel, a little restaurant—perhaps she and Rumplestiltskin could go on outings there. He could show her what this world was like.

Perhaps she would—or should—find her father, Maurice. She hadn't seen him since the day she left to live with Rumplestiltskin. But then, she might also see Gaston, whom she frankly did not wish to see again; and both men would want Belle to be with them instead of Rumplestiltskin.

Belle decided that even if they found her and confronted Rumplestiltskin, she would stay with him. She couldn't stand to leave him again. (In any case she had already gotten used to being without her father, during her time in Rumplestiltskin's castle.)

"Will you be all right here, if I go out for a while?" Rumplestiltskin asked. "I think I should see what's happened, now that everyone remembers."

"Oh. Sure," Belle said. "I'll be fine."

He smiled; the little bell rang as he opened the door, and then he was gone.

Belle looked around the shop for a while—in almost the same way she had explored Rumplestiltskin's home in the old world. This place was full of various strange items, though most of them seemed like the kinds of things that could have been found in their world.

He still had the spinning wheel. Belle ran her hand over the wheel, wondering if he still used it, and whether or not it could still turn straw into gold.

She wandered over to a bookshelf, wondering what sort of books he could have. Like most of the memorabilia in the shop, they appeared to be antiques. There were so few of them that Rumplestiltskin had arranged them so they stood side by side with their covers visible.

It was the picture on one book's frontispiece that caught her notice: a pair of red roses against a black background. The title read _Romeo and Juliet_.

Belle picked it up carefully and looked at the first few pages. Apparently it had been written in the 1600s—and according to the calendar behind the desk, it was the year 2012 in this world. It was, indeed, an old story.

She flipped through the pages, and saw that it was written like the script of a play. The words were strange but also familiar—the kind of language used back home, in speaking formally or writing poetry. It was clearly a love story—evidently between Romeo and Juliet, though they rarely saw or spoke to each other personally.

She found one passage that hooked her attention from the first line.

_O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!  
>Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?<br>Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!  
>Dove-feather'd raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!<br>Despised substance of divinest show!  
>Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st,<br>A damned saint, an honorable villain!  
>O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell,<br>When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend  
>In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh?<br>Was ever book containing such vile matter  
>So fairly bound? O that deceit should dwell<br>In such a gorgeous palace!_

Belle found that the passage rather ironically applied to her own life. Rumplestiltskin was rather the opposite of that description: he had been ugly, and outwardly wicked and callous, but Belle knew—she had dug deep enough to discover—that there was also something good, something human, in him.

_And I love you, Belle_. She had never loved him more than at that moment, because it was proof that he _could_ love. And not only that, but it was directed toward her.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The passage is from Act III, scene ii of _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare. In the extended edition of Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_, there is actually a scene in which Belle and the Beast read _Romeo and Juliet_ together. (I figured that story wouldn't have existed in the fairy tale world seen in the show.)


	4. A Precious Mystery

_Published November 6, 2012. Edited January 14, 2013. Takes place between "Broken" and "The Crocodile."_

Rumpelstiltskin meant what he said, when he told Belle that she should leave. He knew now that if she stayed, if they tried to have something, he would only hurt and disappoint her again.

It was Belle who gently asserted that she needed to stay, for his sake as well as her own. Rumpelstiltskin agreed, because he wanted to do what made her happy, and because he was still selfish enough to want her here with him.

There was some lingering awkwardness, even tension, between the two of them. Now, their feelings were out in the open, but their actions were still limited.

Sometimes Rumpelstiltskin would make a small gesture—patting her hand, squeezing her shoulder—either out of affection, or to assure himself that she was indeed there. When he first saw her in Storybrooke, he had thought she might be an illusion conjured by Regina or someone else's dark magic; he hadn't believed it until he touched her and felt how real she was.

In his house, he taught her about the things that existed in this world, things that she hadn't been able to experience while she was in the asylum. She marveled at the radio that let you hear music and voices. He introduced her to television, which she found interesting, but less engaging than books.

Belle offered to help with the housework, the way she had in his castle. This led to a few lessons in the cleaning technologies of this world, from disinfectant sprays to the vacuum cleaner. He taught her how to use the kitchen appliances; instead of her serving his meals, as she had before, they cooked their meals together.

Rumpelstiltskin made a point of searching for books that Belle would enjoy. She had never read any of the stories or poetry of this world. In the evenings they read aloud together. Most of the time Belle read aloud, her gentle accent hushed with excitement. But sometimes she convinced Rumpelstiltskin to read to her in return.

"If you don't mind me asking," Rumpelstiltskin said one evening, "how did you develop such an interest in books?"

Belle smiled bemusedly and shrugged as though to say, _Who knows?_ "I don't know how it started. But sometimes it felt like my way of escaping."

"Escaping what?"

"I once told you I wanted to see the world. I figured, if I couldn't see it, I could always imagine it. If my own life ever felt tedious, I'd find a book to entertain me."

The selection that night was a book of poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Belle hesitated when she came upon one passage, but Rumpelstiltskin urged her, "Go on."

Her voice faltered a few times, when the words seemed to ring too true, but she carried on until she had finished the excerpt.

_In Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours,  
><em>_Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers:  
><em>_Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all._

_It is the little rift within the lute,  
><em>_That by and by will make the music mute,  
><em>_And ever widening slowly silence all._

_The little rift within the lover's lute,  
><em>_Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit,  
><em>_That rotting inward slowly moulders all._

_It is not worth the keeping: let it go;  
><em>_But shall it? answer, darling, answer, no.  
><em>_And trust me not at all or all in all._

As she finished, Belle glanced up at Rumpelstiltskin. His hands were resting over the gold ball of his cane. His gazed was fixed on the fire, a contemplative expression on his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you about something," he said after a moment of silence. Rumpelstiltskin looked at her. "Something _did_ happen between you and Regina. Tell me what."

Belle sighed through her nose, remembering. "I was going into town, like you said. I was going to leave … but I also thought about going back. Anyway, the queen's carriage pulled up and she came out and walked with me for a while." Belle smiled bitterly.

"Let me guess," Rumpelstiltskin said. "She played the friendly stranger giving advice."

Belle nodded, and looked down at her hands. "She must have known, but she pretended to guess, about me—about us—and she guessed that I loved you." Belle was silent for a moment, remembering.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at her, waiting. "Well … what did you say to that?"

Belle's eyes flickered back up to look at him. "I said I could love you," she told him. "But I could tell there was something—_dark_ about you. She said you were probably cursed, and that a kiss from a true love would break it."

"I see," Rumpelstiltskin murmured softly. He understood, now, that he had been wrong about Belle trying to deceive him; she had been ignorant of Regina's true motive, of wanting to rid the Dark One of his powers so she would be the more powerful one.

"And she captured you, after I sent you away?"

"Not right away. I thought about going back home … but, since I was finally out in the world, I figured I should take my time exploring it." She remembered stopping to get food in a tavern frequented by dwarves. She had recognized the symptoms of love in one of them, and tried to offer him advice. It had eased her conscience somewhat, to help someone find happiness in love, even if she couldn't.

"I did have an adventure. I helped tame a beast and lift a curse off of someone. Then I thought to go back to your castle."

"Regina's guards abducted me before I could make it back to my village."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded, his expression unreadable. Belle half-expected him to speak now, to tell her what it had been like for him after she left, but he wouldn't share his own feelings or experiences that easily. She often wondered whether she would ever get him to be open or honest with her. She did believe that love was a mystery to be uncovered, but there had to be a point when each person let the other uncover their own mystery.

"Hey." Belle came and sat next to Rumpelstiltskin. "Thank you, by the way. For letting me stay here."

"Well … you are new here. You needed a home." Rumpelstiltskin shrugged nonchalantly.

Belle smiled at him, with that look in her eyes that said she knew better. "I think you _wanted_ me here," she teased.

Rumpelstiltskin's slight smile widened a bit. "Perhaps," he said; that was the closest he would come to admitting it.

They stayed up talking a little longer, until Belle glanced at the clock on the wall. "I think I'll turn in now," she said softly, standing up.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't protest. "Well, good night, Belle."

"Good night, Rumple." She paused, and then leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. Then she left the room and went up the stairs, to the guestroom that had never been used until she arrived.

Rumpelstiltskin stayed downstairs for a while after Belle retired. He should be using this time, when she was asleep, to spin straw into gold, to do the magic that he had been unable to practice for so long. But now he simply sat on the couch and stared pensively into the fire.

He still marveled at the fact that Belle loved him, even after all that he had done to her. He had stolen her freedom. He had rejected her. He had thrown her out. And just days ago, he had twisted his promise not to kill Regina.

Yet she had come back to him, three times now—twice knowing who he was and what he had done. Twice she chose him over her freedom.

He didn't understand it. But he was glad for it, nevertheless.

He wondered if they would be able to truly have a life together. He thought of Milah and Baelfire, and wondered vaguely about marriage and parenthood. He had already failed at both of those; as tempting as they sounded, when associated with Belle … he didn't think he could risk making that kind of commitment.

He wasn't good at loving people. He _could_ love, but he wasn't very good at it.

He didn't think he could bear to love and lose someone again.

Rumpelstiltskin stood up slowly and went upstairs, trying to be quiet despite using his cane for support. He paused outside the door to Belle's room; then he gently pushed it open.

Belle was in the bed, lying on her side. She was beautiful, even when she was asleep.

All the time, she was strong and selfless, but also soft and vulnerable.

_I was told you would protect me._

_ Yeah. I will_.

It was the least he could do; it might have been the only thing he knew he could do for her.

For a long time, he had lived with the idea that if Regina's story was true, it was his fault that Belle had died. He was the one who had … disposed of her fiancé.

Now, knowing Belle was not only alive, but staying with him … it felt like fate was giving him a second chance. He knew that he couldn't mess it up this time.

_Do I know you?_

_ No. But you will_.


	5. Unwanted Gratitude

_Takes place during Episode 4x12, "Heroes and Villains"_

As she walked away from the town line, Belle realized she did not know where to go. Her suitcase was still packed and waiting in the shop, but the rest of her belongings were at Rumplestiltskin's estate. Should she continue living there, after him driving out? Everything that was his became hers when they married, but now—they were as good as divorced, she supposed, yet she had not let him take anything with him. In any case, she did not think she could continue living with so many reminders of him. There was still the apartment connected to the library—but the library was underneath the clock tower, the spot where she had stolen his power and turned it against him. Everything in Storybrooke could remind her of him. But if she didn't want to keep anything of his, staying at Granny's was probably the best option. She did not even consider going to her father—she could not face him and admit that he had been right about the beast.

Belle wondered if she should send someone to check on Rumplestiltskin. Grumpy might do that, or Archie. But what would be the point? If he wasn't all right, whoever checked on him wouldn't be able to help without crossing the line themselves. And who would want to help him? Only his pathetic wife.

What was worse: lying to herself about his nature, or throwing him out? They seemed like two opposite yet equally horrible extremes.

But there was no way she could justify continuing to let him live in Storybrooke. She couldn't trust him, and neither could anyone else. He had wanted to hurt Emma and Hook after everyone thought their rivalries were over.

Why, _why_ had Rumplestiltskin not just accepted the dagger when she tried to give it to him? Why did he make a show of trusting her and surrendering his power, only to keep it to himself? She would have loved him if he had been honest about keeping it.

And then to try to accumulate more power … why could he not be content with what he had? Why did he always need more? More power, more freedom, more ability … but even if she could accept his desires, the way he tried to achieve them was unacceptable.

Belle was gathering her belongings in the back room of the shop when she heard the bell signaling that someone had entered.

"Belle?" The accented voice was tentative.

No. Not him. He was the last person she needed to see now.

She was quiet until he reached the back room. "Are you all right, love?"

She sniffed, refusing to look at him. "What do you think?"

"I think it must have taken a lot to turn against your true love, to save a man who once tried to kill you."

How was she supposed to respond to that? There was no polite way. "You should go."

"I will," Hook said softly. "But … I wanted to—"

"Don't you _dare_ thank me, Killian Jones. I just banished my husband to the land without magic—"

"I know," Hook said with sincerity. "I'm sorry you had to do that. And I promise, I will make sure that sacrifice was worthwhile."

Belle was confused enough to finally look at him. "How?"

"Well, like you, I may end up joining this extended family … at any rate, I won't stop trying to protect Emma and Henry."

Belle had been willing to believe that Hook had changed because she had seen Rumplestiltskin change, and to her, that proved anyone could do it. But now that she knew she had been wrong, she could only wonder whether Hook's resolve to be good would hold.

He was still looking at her sympathetically. "You look like you could use a drink."

For a moment Belle remembered her few days when she had thought her name was Lacey. She had consumed more alcohol in those few days than in all the other years of her life. And she knew, from her experience then, that Granny's served good wine.

"You know, for once, I think you're right."


End file.
